Til the End of the Line
by Gilana1
Summary: Fix-it for the end of Avengers: Endgame. You'll know where and what scene when you read it. Stucky. Can be read as romantic or just friendship.


**A/n: **While I generally thought it was a good movie, I just... couldn't get over this scene. I had this alternative in my head and I needed to write it. Written pretty quickly - in less than an hour. Just had to get it out.

**Til the End of the Line**

"Five… four… three… two… one," Bruce counted down, and Steve Rogers appeared on the pad right where he had been a few moments before. He looked very much the same as he had a few seconds earlier. The shield was on his arm, but the hammer was gone, and so was the gauntlet.

"Everything go okay?" Sam asked as Steve's helmet cam down. He looked worn and tired. He didn't respond. "Steve?"

He nodded. "Yeah, everything went fine," he said, stepping down. "Put back the stones, returned the hammer to Asgard. That took a while, but it's done. Everything is the way it should be."

"Well, that's good then, right? The other realities are all the way it should be," Sam said.

"Yeah, we did what we promised and set everything right," Bruce agreed, but Steve just nodded.

There was something in his eyes. "You okay, Steve?" Bucky, who had been quiet until this point, asked.

Steve nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine, just… tired."

"I think you deserve a break after everything. A vacation," Sam said, to which Bruce nodded. Bucky, however, didn't say anything. He kept his eyes fixed firmly on Steve.

Everyone was quiet for a moment. Bucky took a few steps closer to Steve. "What are you thinking?" he asked quietly, knowing that something was up.

"I think… I think I'm done. I want to… move on. We did what we needed to do, we saved everyone," he said, knowing that Sam and Bucky standing there were proof of that. "I just… maybe I can do some good in the world without having to fight anymore."

Bucky nodded. To be honest, he wasn't surprised. He knew Steve better than anyone.

Sam nodded, too. "That's… I can understand that," he said. "Seems weird to have a world without Captain America, but… There's plenty of people who can fight. You don't have to be a hero forever. Hell, you've done it longer than any of us."

"That's true." Steve held the shield in his hands and was quiet for a moment before speaking again. He looked up at Bucky, who met his eyes and nodded. "Maybe it doesn't have to be," he said, turning to Sam and holding the shield out to him. "Here. Take it."

"I - What? I - I couldn't," Sam said, quickly shaking his head, nervousness etched through his features. "It's yours. _You're _Captain America. I'm just -"

"I was, but maybe it's time to hand it on to someone else. Someone who can do just as much good, maybe even more than I did," he said. "Take it. Try it." Sam looked at Bucky, who just nodded. Looking back at the shield, he slowly reached out and took the shield. He held it gingerly in his arms before slowly slipping it on the way he'd seen Steve always doing. "How does it feel?"

"Like it belongs to someone else."

"Then it fits."

"I - are you sure?" Sam asked.

Steve nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure. It's your turn now. It's time."

"Will you be okay? What are you going to do? Where will you go?"

Steve nodded. "Yeah. Yeah. I'll be fine." He hadn't sounded too sure at first but sounded more confident as he spoke. "I don't know where I'll go, but… maybe that's okay. I'll figure it out."

"Don't worry, I'll be there to make sure he keeps his head on straight," Bucky said.

Steve turned to look at him. " _My _head on straight? Wasn't that always _my _job to keep _yours _on straight?" A small smile crossed Bucky's face. "You know, you can do whatever you want."

Bucky nodded as Steve turned towards him. He put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm with you, until the end of the line."

Steve smiled at him. "'Til the end of the line." He turned back to Sam. "I'll send you the suit."

Sam nodded. "Okay, if you're sure… I still don't know about this, but… if you're sure."

Steve glanced over at Bucky and nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure." The two gave a small embrace before Steve turned and walked off. Bucky nodded towards Sam before turning and falling in line beside Steve. "So, where do you want to go?"

Bucky shrugged. "I'm not sure," he said. "This was your idea."

"I'm sure we'll figure something out," Steve said. "Maybe a real vacation."

"Do you even know how to have a vacation?"

"Do you?"

Their voices died off as they kept walking. Sam looked down at the shield, before looking back at Bruce. "You think they'll be okay?"

Bruce nodded. "Yeah, they have each other," he said. "They'll be fine."

Sam looked over at their retreating backs, seeing them slip an arm around each other. "Yeah, I think you're right." He looked down at the shield again. He would be alright, too.

Meanwhile, Steve and Bucky kept walking. "You know, I - I almost considered not coming back."

The words made Bucky stop. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I could have… I could have just…" Steve paused for a second. "When Tony and I were getting the stone, we went back in time, and I… I saw Peggy. I just wondered… in another life, if I hadn't been frozen for seventy years, if we would have…" His voice died off, and he was silent for a moment before speaking again. "I could have again. Just used the particles and gone back in time and we could have…"

"Why didn't you?" Bucky asked simply, searching Steve's face for a reaction.

Steve looked at him. "You. I - by doing that, it would have meant losing you. You would be here without me."

"I would have understood. You know right, right?"

"I do, but… I lost you already. Twice. It was hard enough the first time, but the second… watching you disappear before my eyes, I…" Steve shook his head. "Whatever Peggy and I had is in the past. You and I, we… got a second chance, no a _third _chance to see what… what life has to offer. Maybe we can do that… together."

Bucky stood there for a moment before pulling Steve into a tight embrace. The two stood there for a moment before Bucky whispered. "I'm glad you came back. I would have been okay, but… it's better.. With you." He pulled back just slightly. "'Til the end of the line?"

Steve nodded and smiled pulling him again. "'Til the end of the line."


End file.
